Studies have shown that taking large quantities of a green tea extract can cause liver damage.

However these studies should not stop us from drinking this healthy beverage as the those who suffered toxic symptoms were actually taking huge amounts of green tea extract rather than drinking it in large quantities. As green tea contains the unique antioxidant, EGCG as well as others such as quercetin, naringenin and rutin, we should all try to drink it on a daily basis.

This new study examines the effects of massive dose of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) - the main polyphenol antioxidant in green tea – on rats and beagle dogs. In these studies the researchers gave the animals massive doses of EGCG that resulted in severe toxicity and eventually the death of these unfortunate animals. The quantities of EGCG used in these experiments were absurdly large – the equivalent of a 150 lb person taking over 50 lb of green tea extract a day!

Is it any wonder that these animals became toxic and died?

This study quotes another paper where a woman became ill after taking a weight loss product that contained high levels of green tea extract. She was taking 380mg of EGCG every day. Tests showed that this product had caused damage to her liver which recovered when she stopped taking the supplement.

These studies really confirm the point that I have tried to make in my articles and in my book, Medicinal Seasonings. That is we should not take high quantities of any one substance no matter how good it is supposed to be for our health. Just because something is good for us in small doses does not mean that it will be even better for us in higher (pharmacological) doses. 

EGCG is not the only important compound found in green tea. There are others such as quercetin, rutin and naringenin that have important health boosting properties. As such it is far better to use the whole plant instead of extracts when one is using a plant food in a preventive context.

Even though a plant may provide one particularly valuable antioxidant there are often other compounds in the plant that improve its bioavailability and may indeed moderate any toxic effects it may possess.

It is also important to look at all foods (including beverages such as green tea, coffee etc) in the context of the diet as a whole. Phytochemicals in different plants often have synergistic and modulating effects on one another – effects that are lost when we use refined plant extracts.

Is green tea bad for you? Definitely not. It is very good for you.

Are green tea extracts bad for you? It all depends on the dose.

Let Paracelsus have the last word: 
"What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. It is solely the dose that determines whether or not a thing is a poison."

Reference:

• Possible Controversy over Dietary Polyphenols: Benefits vs Risks
  Joshua D. Lambert, Shengmin Sang, and Chung S. Yang,
  Chem. Res. Toxicol., 20 (4), 583 -585, 2007

For further information go to: www.medspice.com